| Dr.
Elaine Ryan Hedges, an innovative scholar, a superior teacher, and
an exemplary administrator, was born in Yonkers, New York on August 17,
1927. She lived in Baltimore, Maryland from the late 1960’s until her
death
in 1997. This extraordinary educator was at the forefront when the
field
of Women’s Studies was created in the 1970’s, and was crucial to its
development
and continued growth, as founding member and advisor to the National
Women’s
Studies Association. Nationally and internationally recognized as a
scholar
of the first rank, Dr. Hedges has made a significant and lasting
contribution
to the people of the State of Maryland, and particularly to the women
of
Maryland.
For many years, Dr. Hedges served as writer, critic, and
editor for
The Feminist Press, which honored her in 1988 with The Feminist Press
Award
for Contributions to Women’s Culture. She was also one of eight major
editors
for the current edition of Heath Anthology of American Literature, a
publication
which virtually redefined the canon of American literature toward the
inclusiveness
of women writers and writers of all races. Noted for her scholarship on
American women’s quilts, Dr. Hedges was sought as a speaker and
consultant
by historical societies, museums, and quilting groups. Her critical
efforts
in forming the Modern Language Association’s Committee on the Status of
Women, during the 1970’s, continue to reap untold benefits for women
educators
and students.
In the early 1970’s Dr. Hedges founded the Women’s Studies
Program
of Towson University, esteemed as one of the oldest and best in the
nation,
contributing greatly to the expansion of diversity and inclusiveness in
higher education in the State. By the time of her retirement, Towson’s
interdisciplinary program in Women’s Studies had grown to include 40
faculty
members, 50 courses, and reached an average of 2,000 students a year.
In
addition to her exceptional efforts in developing and perfecting
Towson’s
Women’s Studies Program, Dr. Hedges was one of two organizers to make
Towson
University’s curriculum more gender-inclusive. As co-director of a
three
year grant, from the U.S. Department of Education’s Fund for
Improvement
of Postsecondary Education (FIPSE), Dr. Hedges helped 75 Towson faculty
members in 13 disciplines transform their courses to more adequately
incorporate
the growing body of knowledge on women. As an extension of that work
she
and co-director, Professor Sara Coulter of Towson University, headed a
similar “mainstreaming” project for five community colleges within the
state of Maryland.
At the time of her death, Dr. Hedges had been working on
publishing
materials for the National Center for Curriculum Transformation
Resources
on Women, which she and Dr. Coulter recently established on the Towson
University campus with funds from a Ford Foundation grant. The National
Center’s purpose is to serve as a clearinghouse for the dissemination
of
ideas and materials developed in these and other mainstreaming projects
throughout the nation and the world.
Elaine Hedges’ lifework has made women more visible in our
culture
and society. Achieving preeminent status as a leader and ground breaker
in the fields of women’s studies and American literature, Dr. Hedges’
work
has led to tremendous educational advances in the State, to the present
and future benefit of Maryland women and women throughout the world.
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